Operational, Political and Legal Implications of AUKUS - David Nicholls, Matt McDonald and Monique Cormier

10/13/21 • 54 min

In this live recording of an event, Rain Liivoja talks with David Nicholls, Matt McDonald and Monique Cormier about the new AUKUS arrangement, under which Australia would acquire 8 nuclear-powered submarines with US and UK technology. They discuss the extent to which it represents a major shift in Australia's defence policy, and what we can make of some of the claims made about it.
David Nicholls is the Executive Director of the Submarine Institute of Australia. A former submarine commander in the Royal Australian Navy, he now works as a defence industry consultant.
Dr Matt McDonald is an Associate Professor in The University of Queensland's School of Political Science and International Studies. His research focuses on critical theoretical approaches to security and their application to issues such as Australian foreign and security policy, and Asia-Pacific security dynamics.
Dr Monique Cormier is a Senior Lecturer in the University of New England's School of Law. Her research covers international criminal law, and legal issues relating to nuclear disarmament and extended nuclear deterrence.

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Precautions in defending digital infrastructure - Eve Massingham

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In this episode, Dr Simon McKenzie talks with Dr Eve Massingham about the equirement to take precautions against the effects of attack. This obligation requires the defender to minimise the risk that civilians and civilian objects will be harmed by enemy military operations – such as by locating military bases away from civilian areas, or by clearly marking non-military objects. They discuss how this might work when it comes to digital infrastructure, including the challenges of dual-use technology, and the value of applying IHL principles to new technology.
Dr Eve Massingham is a Senior Research Fellow with the School of Law, The University of Queensland. Eve's current research focuses on the diverse ways in which the law constrains or enables autonomous functions of military platforms, systems and weapons. She is the co-editor of Ensuring Respect for International Humanitarian Law (Routledge, 2020) and she has published a number of book chapters and journal articles in the fields of international humanitarian law and international law, and the use of force.
Further reading:

ICRC resources on war in cities
Erik Jensen, 'War in cities: Attackers have rules to follow. What about defenders?', Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog ( 16 March 2017)
Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog series on avoiding civilian harm during cyber operations

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What space law can tell us about international law - Cris van Eijk

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In this episode, Dr Simon McKenzie chats with Cris van Eijk about space law – including some of its fundamental documents and places of political contestation - and what the structure and focus of space law tells us about international law more generally. After a few decades on the outer, space law is back in vogue: the rise of commercial space ventures combined with an uptick in geopolitical tension about the use of space makes it particularly important for us to think about if and how it is regulated by law.

Cris van Eijk is an international lawyer and is currently researching outer space law from environmental, historical, and decolonial perspectives. He is currently part of the Working Group on International Law of the International Astronomical Union's Dark and Quiet Skies Conference, as well as Legal Advisor at Jus Ad Astra, where he analyses environmental rights in orbit. He holds a BA in International Justice and an LLM in Public International Law from Leiden University and is in the final stages of a graduate-entry law degree at the University of Cambridge.
Further reading: